A review by mochipandabear
Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin

3.0

Overall this was like a 3/3.5 stars? I did enjoy it for the most part (as I write this I realize it is supposed to be told from this unreliable narrator who’s constantly in a state of a borderline panic attack or feeling like the most powerful person in the room) but at times it felt the pace went too slow or sped by things way too fast for what was going on in the plot, but it kinda fits the main character?
We follow Arlee Gold as she goes to this fancy summer camp that her mother went to when she was young. Arlee has always been super afraid of bugs and is just a ball of anxiety in general, so as soon as she steps onto the premises of this big camp she can tell something is off. Her suspicions are encouraged by the odd way her mother and the camp’s director speak to each other and to Arlee herself.
This book is definitely Midsommar energy and was able to pull of the summer camp cult! But again, after some of the big reveals I just felt like things… lulled a bit? Like yes, Arlee was panicking a good chunk of the time after the biggest twist, but I could feel it dragging a bit for myself as we got closer to the end. The climax really didn’t feel like a climax to a story to me? The ending was satisfying but still felt off. Maybe that was on purpose though?
Overall, I enjoyed this for the most part and if it sounds good to you I encourage you to try it out!
Thank you to Netgalley and Julia Lynn Rubin for the chance to read this for free in exchange for an honest review